Former names Government House Country Tanzania Owner Politics of Tanzania | Architectural style African and Arabian Current tenants John Magufuli Current tenant John Magufuli | |
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Address 1 Barack Obama Drive
11400, Dar es Salaam Similar Kigamboni Bridge, Pemba Island, Mount Kilimanjaro, Lake Tanganyika, Serengeti | ||
The White House (Ikulu), also known in English as the State House, is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United Republic of Tanzania. The current building, then called Government House, was constructed under the first British Governor of Tanganyika Horace Byatt in 1922 to the designs of architect John Sinclair. It is built on the remains of the original building constructed by the German administrators of German East Africa that had been damaged by the Royal Navy in December 1914. The south wing was added in 1956 to honour the visit of Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon and retains the name The Princess Margaret Wing to this day. The building was renamed State House on independence.
Map of Ikulu, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
The State House blends African and Arabian architecture, with wide verandahs and covered walkways. It is white-walled with floors of African terrazzo, and stands in over 33 acres (13 ha) of grounds overlooking the Indian Ocean. The brass-studded west doors are surmounted by a replica of the Republic's Coat of Arms and flanked by two giant drums.
The building contains a number of gifts from state visitors, including an Ethiopian shield with crossed spears, given by Haile Selassie and a representation of the coat-of-arms of the Republic of Tanganyika, given by the government of India in 1961, that acts as a backdrop to the President's seat in the Council Chamber.